A New Dawn
by MerlinPsych
Summary: (Takes place after The Last Hope) Dawnkit is a frail and weak young cat who is terrified of fighting, so what could her destiny possibly be in a clan? The answer could change the clans forever. This fic is going to include a lot of OC's, as well as canon cats. Canon pairings, mostly. Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors :(
1. Chapter 1

Dawnkit squealed as a dark shape came hurtling towards her, pinning her to the ground. She did not understand Badgerkit's obsession with battle moves, but her denmate's eagerness was contagious and at the lofty expression on his face, she just had to laugh.

He got off of her and nudged her gently to her paws. "Your turn, Dawnkit!" he urged her; "You try now!"

She smiled, but shook her head. "You know I could never pull a move like that off," she pointed out, "I- I'll stick to… other things… thanks."

Badgerkit looked disappointed. "You have too little faith in yourself, Dawnkit. You can't be the mouse every time!"

She gave a resigned sigh and bunched up her haunches to pounce halfheartedly at him.

"No, no, no!" Badgerkit wailed, "You have to _try,_ mousebrain!"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Dawnkit backed up a few feet to give herself more room, and bunched up again, this time in decent form for a pounce. _Come on, Dawnkit,_ she thought, _Maybe you can actually do this! Maybe you can-_

A small snort sounded from behind her. "Is she really trying to play, _again?"_

Dawnkit turned meekly around to face the speaker. "Hello, Wolfkit," she muttered, then, nodding to Wolfkit's brother, "Redkit."

Wolfkit smirked. "Why do you keep trying?" she laughed, "Clearly, you're never going to be a warrior!"

Badgerkit bounded up to them, bristling. "You take that back!" he yowled, "Dawnkit will be a great warrior!"

Wolfkit just puffed up bigger, "HA! What do _you_ think, Redkit?"

Redkit snorted. "I bet she won't be a good anything at all!" he mewed.

Wolfkit shot Dawnkit another of her nasty little signature smirks. "Well, then what will they do with her? Make her live in the elder's den? Exile her? Kill her?"

Dawnkit looked away, choking back a sob. What if they were right? She really wasn't good at anything! She was to small, frail, uncoordinated… and also, there was her fear.

Badgerkit was livid. "You leave her alone! She'll be a fine warrior! She'll-"

"Don't be daft, brother!" Redkit shot back at him, "She's a dead weight in our clan! Another mouth to feed, and she'll never be anything more!"

"Yeah!" Wolfkit agreed, yellow eyes shining maliciously, "Cats like her are the reason Thunderclan is starving and dying of greencough!"

Dawnkit let in a sharp intake of breath. That was going too far! Her brother, Kestrelkit, had died just within the moon of a severe case of greencough, despite the abundance of medically trained cats in Thunderclan, who were unable to save him.

She could still remember her brother's voice, the way he actually enjoyed playing Shadowclan in their games, but yet how you couldn't have found a nicer cat in all of Thunderclan. How he had been her shoulder to lean on, her confidant, the moss to her elder, the dog to her twoleg, the fangs to her fox. How his little brown body had laid at Jayfeather's paws, limp and lifeless.

_"I'm sorry, Dawnkit," _Jayfeather had told her, in an uncharacteristic exhibition of sympathy.

"Don't. Ever. Say that," Dawnkit breathed in Wolfkit's ear, in a soft and strangely calm voice, all the warmth gone from her normally submissive and compassionate pale green eyes.

Wolfkit looked startled and staggered backwards, gray tabby fur on end. "I…"

"I mean it," Dawnkit continued in that same soft, threatening tone. "Or else I'll…"

Wolfkit's eyes gleamed. "You'll what?" she challenged her.

Dawnkit's expression fell. "I- I- I'll… kill you," the little black kitten muttered, but her heart wasn't in it.

Wolfkit raised her eyebrows. "I'd like to see you try, mouseheart!"

Dawnkit gulped. How in Starclan had it come to her challenging Wolfkit, who already fought like an apprentice at four and a half moons? Especially when Dawnkit was so weak at three?

Badgerkit put a tail over her shoulders. "Come on," he whispered, "Let's just go."

Dawnkit gave him a gratified look, but shook her head. "I have to teach her a lesson," she said softly, "Or she'll never stop picking on me."

Badgerkit just stared at her with his big, topaz eyes. "Dawnkit-"

"Please," she whispered, "Just let me do this."

Badgerkit nodded, slowly, and he and Redkit backed away.

Little did the kits know, but their antics had attracted the attention of a large portion of the clan. Nobody stepped in, however. This was between Dawnkit and Wolfkit, and they needed to learn to fight their own battles.

"I'll even let you have the first strike," Wolfkit meowed, smugly. She sat down in the snow, unmoving.

Dawnkit squeezed her eyes shut, feeling queasy with apprehension and slowly bunched up her haunches and…

She opened her eyes again, her green ones meeting Wolfkit's yellow. Her resolve quickly melting like the snow was said to in newleaf; she prepared to leap, and lifted her paws ferociously in front of her to bat at the air.

Suddenly, thousands of images flashed before her eyes.

_Blood, and claws, and teeth whirled through her vision, mixed with the agonized wails of hundreds of cats, the whole scene washed with red. She looked about, here, there, anywhere to escape, and a giant gray shape landed on her, tearing with her claws. "Come on Dawnkit," the more sinister than life version of Wolfkit sneered, "Fight me!" She suddenly morphed into Tigerstar, the notorious cat from the nursery tales, who tore at her, tearing out her fur, biting so deep, it hit bone, shredding her to pieces. _

_Then, Dawnkit fought back. Suddenly, the air was freckled red with blood, like the spots of the great Leopardclan. She felt flesh beneath her claws, warm and soft, and tore and tore and tore, the blood tangy and metallic as filled her mouth and drizzled down her throat…_

_Eventually the horrified shrieks of the cat in her claws ceased and she looked down at her victim's limp and lifeless form._

_It morphed into Kestrelkit. "Dawnkit…." Came his voice's whisper from the air, "Whyyyyyyy?!" and then his eyes were lifeless too, and his stare was blank._

_"YOU'RE NO WARRIOR!" the voices of hundreds of cats chanted at her, "YOU'RE NO WARRIOR! YOU'RE NO WARRIOR!"_

_Suddenly, a lithe tortoiseshell cat with stars in her fur touched down from the sky in front of her. "There are no warriors, now," the cat whispered in a deep and mysterious tone, "Only killers, only death."_

_"YOU'RE NO WARRIOR!" the voices chanted, "YOU'RE NO WARRIOR! YOU'RE NO WARRIOR!"_

_Kestrelkit lay looking frail and broken in Dawnkit's claws, shredded and soaking in a pool of blood._

"No," Dawnkit whispered, putting her paws back on the ground and shaking her head slowly in horror as she backed away. "NO!"

Wolfkit snorted as her opponent's eyes grew ever wider, and then, suddenly, Dawnkit had completely frozen over, shuddering, a glazed look in her eyes.

A small gasp sounded form Dawnkit's mother.

"Not again," her father sighed.

Wolfkit sniffed snootily, strutted up, and cuffed Dawnkit in the head. The smaller kit want limp and fell to her knees.

"Your turn," Wolfkit chided.

Dawnkit blacked out, collapsing pathetically to the floor of the camp.

Badgerkit sighed, sadly. Why did it have to be like this every time she fought?

**So, what did you think? This is my first OC fic, so... any feedback on my characters would be much appreciated. Yes, this takes place after the Last Hope. There weren't spoilers in this chapter, but there may be later on... ;) I would explain what will happen in great detail, but I don't want to give everything away... Let's just say that Dawnkit's destiny is a great and... unexpected one, that will change the clans forever. **

**Well, anyhow. Next chapter the adults will discuss what to do with poor Dawnkit, because, although Wolfkit is a little jerk, she is totally right: Dwankit would clearly be a terrible warrior. So, let's play a game. Guess what will happen to Dawnkit and post it in your review! Thanks for reading everybody, I'll try to update soon! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited! :D Nobody guessed correctly, (only one guess) but... you'll see.**

A small group of cats was gathered just outside the medicine den, speaking in hushed tones.

"Oh Dawnkit…" sighed Cinderheart, "What are we going to do with her?"

Lionblaze shook his head. "She'll grow out of it… She has to! I mean… what else is there to do but keep trying?"

Jayfeather give him a pitying look, somehow staring straight through him with his sightless eyes. "I'm sorry, Lionblaze… this just doesn't seem like something she'll grow out of. I know how hard it must be to see your daughter like this… Especially after Kestrelkit-"

"NO! You're wrong!" Lionblaze snapped, eyes flashing with pain and fury, "You don't understand! She has to move past this, she just has to! There have been weak kits in Thunderclan before, but with the right amount of hard work and training…"

Jayfeather shook his head. "It's not just that, Lionblaze, and I think you know it. Dawnkit isn't just weak, she's…" he trailed off uncertainly. How did one explain the kit's predicament?

"What?!" he growled, "What then, Jayfeather?! What's keeping my only remaining kit from ever growing up to be a warrior?!"

Jayfeather frowned, thoughtfully. "I… I don't honestly know, but there's something…"

Now Cinderheart was glaring at him, blue eyes blazing like fire. "What, Jayfeather?! How is this even possible?! Her father is invincible, how is it even _possible_ that she can't ever even hope to _participate_ in a battle?!"

Everyone was silent after that. Nobody had been particularly comfortable with stating the problem so bluntly. It had just… slipped out.

Suddenly, Bramblestar leapt up by the den beside them, followed by Squirrelflight. "I… hate to bring this up, but honestly, what _are_ we going to do with Dawnkit?" he asked, awkwardly.

Meanwhile, inside the den, Dawnkit finally came to, pale green eyes blinking open to the dim interior of the small cave.

She was shocked to hear the conversation going on just outside.

"I mean, she obviously can't ever be a warrior…" Bramblestar continued.

Dawnkit winced, hurt, looking down at her paws. Wolfkit was right. What was going to happen to her?! She had no apparent value to her clan.

"She's only three moons old!" Cinderheart snapped, "You can't be sure of that!"

Jayfeather's voice drifted in next. "Normally, I'd agree, but something serious is going on here."

Dawnkit gave a start. What did he mean by that? What was wrong with her?!

"What do you mean?" asked Squirrelflight's voice outside.

"Well… I don't think Dawnkit's problems with fighting all stem from physical issues," Jayfeather admitted, "However, I'm having some trouble with determining the outlying force."

"Do you want me to take a look?" Cinderheart asked quietly.

There were a few scattered gasps. Cinderheart rarely acknowledged her past life as the Thunderclan medicine cat, Cinderpelt, especially now that she had given up the role to take Lionblaze as her mate.

"I… don't think that you'll have any more luck than I did. As I said, it's not a medical ailment as far as I can tell." Jayfeather sighed, sounding frustrated.

Dawnkit shuddered. What was it then?

Cinderheart sounded disappointed, but didn't argue. "I'll take your word for it."

"But… if Dawnkit can never fight…" Squirrelflight murmured.

"Or hunt!" Bramblestar interjected, trailing off as he noticed the disapproval of the others. "Sorry," he muttered, "It's true though."

Squirrelflight sighed at her ridiculous mate and continued, "Well, yes. She can't be a warrior."

Lionblaze winced. "But how could we ever tell our kit that? It would break her heart! And besides, what else is there?!"  
Dawnkit felt a wave of despair overtake her. _What am I going to do?! They're going to… to… exile me! Make me a kittypet! Or KILL me, just as Wolfkit said!_

"I guess there's always the elder's den…" sighed Bramblestar, "Or she could just stay in the nursery, like Daisy…"

Jayfeather stiffened at the mention of the elder's den, suddenly feeling very sympathetic and protective towards the kit. After all, nobody had believed he could do anything as a blind cat. It was just wrong to deny Dawnkit a place in her clan!

That was when a small sob broke the air. The small crowd of cats turned in shock towards the entrance of the den. How long had Dawnkit been listening?

Jayfeather nodded to the others. "I'd better go in there…"

Lionblaze nodded back, looking pained. "Take care of her, Jayfeather."

Jayfeather nodded again, stepping quietly into the cave.

"Dawnkit?" he asked, uncertainly, turning towards the sound of her crying.

The kit sniffled, and then looked desperately up at him. "What's wrong with me?!" she wailed, "Why can't I just be a warrior like everyone else?! I- I'm a FAILURE!"

Jayfeather shook his head, furiously, laying his tail comfortingly around the kit's shoulders. "No, Dawnkit, you're not a failure, you're just… different, that's all."

Dawnkit shrugged him off, angrily. "No! You'll never understand! You've never been so pathetically helpless your clan doesn't want you! You've never had to be the extra mouth to feed that nobody knows what to do with!"

Jayfeather stiffened, and Dawnkit slumped a bit, sheepishly, as she looked up into his sightless blue eyes. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, "That was really thoughtless of me… I-"

Jayfeather shook his head. "No, I understand. I've been in your position, and it's one nobody so young should ever be faced with."

She shuddered. "What's going to happen to me now?"

He smiled, weakly. "Well, for now, let's just get you some herbs. That was quite a little battle back there."

Dawnkit winced, but straightened slightly. "What kind?" she asked, eyes sparkling with genuine curiosity.

Jayfeather purred. It was nice to see his patient being a little less morose and acting more her age. "Well," he explained, "I was thinking some poppy…"

"For the pain," Dawnkit piped up, "And… um…"

"Yes?" Jayfeather asked, surprised that she knew.

"Uh… Shock?" she guessed.

He nodded, shocked himself at her knowledge. "Well done. Yes, you'll need it."

"Anything else?" she asked, sitting up a little straighter yet.

He shook his head. "As you may have heard, I don't believe your problems are entirely physical. Wolfkit's tough, but she didn't do much damage."

Dawnkit nodded, thoughtfully. "What is wrong with me, then? Besides my size, I mean."

Jayfeather frowned. "I was hoping you could help me with that. When you were battling Wolfkit, what exactly stopped you from striking?"

She shrugged. "Nothing unusual, I suppose. I was worried I would fail again, and I'm so much smaller, and weaker, and… Oh."

"What?" Jayfeather demanded.

"Well… It was no different than any other time, just, you know…" she squeaked.

"No, I don't know!" Jayfeather snapped irritably, "What is it?"

"Just… the visions." Dawnkit mewed quietly, more than accustomed to his temper after her many visits to the medicine den.

That stopped Jayfeather in his tracks. "_Visions?!"_

"Yeah," she whispered, "With the blood and the death and… and Kestrelkit, and all those cats yelling at me…"

A thought suddenly came to Jayfeather. "Those cats… they didn't have stars in their fur, did they?"

Dawnkit was alarmed. "Why, yes! How did you know?!"

"Dawnkit…" Jayfeather said in stunned disbelief, "I think you've been receiving visions from Starclan!"

**That's a bit of a game changer... any thoughts? Please review and I'll update as soon as I can! (Although I have several other stories I'm writing at the moment as well...) (;**

**Happy Belated New Years Everyone! :D Thanks so much for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry I've been so long! Well, here's the next chapter! More of the kits, mostly. Please review! Your feedback is very helpful!

* * *

Dawnkit yawned, bored out of her mind. It had snowed a lot the night before, and so Cinderheart had deemed it too deep for such a small kit to go outside. She had to say, she was a little irritated. Badgerkit, Redkit, and Wolfkit were all outside pouncing through the snow while she sat in the den doing nothing.

Suddenly, however, she saw three small shadows on the wall behind her and turned slowly around.

"Hey, Dawnkit," Wolfkit hissed, beckoning with her tail.

Dawnkit sighed, knowing full well that Wolfkit never wanted anything but trouble, and walked past Cinderheart's sleeping form over to her denmates. "What?" she asked, icily, hardly in the mood for her teasing.

Redkit's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Aren't you coming out?"

"You know I'm not allowed to," Dawnkit replied, rolling her eyes at him. It was a low blow.

Redkit smirked. "Well, we're not exactly allowed to leave camp, either."

Dawnkit's eyes widened in disbelief. _"Seriously?"_ she hissed, "_I could_ tell on you, you know. This is mousebrained, Redkit."

Wolfkit laughed, "You could tell, if you were a tattle-tale!"

"I am not a tattle-tale!" Dawnkit protested.

"Are too!" argued Redkit.

"Am not!" she squeaked.

"Great," Wolfkit meowed, grinning. "Then I guess we three are going then. Come with… if you're warrior enough!"

Dawnkit felt ice fill her veins. She whirled on Badgerkit. "You're seriously going through with this?!"

Badgerkit shrugged. "Why not? I mean, we can handle ourselves, and this will be great experience for our upcoming apprenticeship," he pointed out, eyes pleading with her to not resent him for going along with one of his littermates' schemes.

Dawnkit scowled at him, not convinced. "I thought _you_ would at least know better than this! We'll never _be_ apprentices if we can't prove ourselves responsible!"

"You sound like my mom," grumbled Wolfkit, annoyed. "Get a spine, mouseheart!"

"Yeah, what about proving our courage?" asked Redkit.

Dawnkit's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you even inviting me?"

"Why not?" Wolfkit asked, innocently, "You are our denmate."

"Oh, come _on!" _Dawnkit scoffed, "You guys hate me. Something's up."

"True," Wolfkit replied, "We do hate you, with a passion, actually, but-"

"Dawnkit, can I speak to you alone for a moment?" pleaded Badgerkit, cutting her off.

She sighed, but followed him a small distance from his littermates. "I'm not going," she stated, coldly.

"Look, Dawnkit…" he began, but the calm, rational tone of his voice and the warm, pleading look in his topaz eyes only made her more irritated.

"Can't you see how mousebrained this plan is?!" she snapped.

He turned around a little, so that their faces were mere inches apart, apparently to reduce the probability of his littermates' eavesdropping. "Look," he whispered, "This could be a really good opportunity for you."

"Why me specifically?" Dawnkit asked, looking a little hurt. She didn't like being singled out. She didn't need special opportunities. She was fine!

"I hate to bring this up," sighed Badgerkit, regretfully, "I know how hard it is, and I know you try, and I know how sensitive you are… And don't get me wrong, I still believe in you… But…"

"But what?" Dawnkit growled, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Don't get all defensive," Badgerkit murmured, "I just worry about you, that's all… Not everyone realizes how great you are, Dawnkit. They don't see the bright, determined, special cat that I do. That any intelligent cat does! Starclan knows you have a warrior in you! I'm just worried-"

"You think they won't let me be a warrior," she sighed, dejectedly, "That's it, isn't it? Wolfkit's right, isn't she? How can I hope to defend my clan when the mice I'd hunt would take me down?" Dawnkit felt the bitterness rising up inside, years of pain coming out anger. "I know, I guess. I always have! It's just… What else is there? Will they exile me, Badgerkit, because I'm a burden to the clan?! That's what a wise leader would do! Bramblestar is no fool. And now you, going along with your littermates, because you're beginning to believe it too! Or perhaps you always have… Is that why we're friends?! Because you pity me?!"

Badgerkit gaped at her in shock, unable to speak for a moment. Then, he closed his mouth, and with an irritated flick of his tail began to speak. "Is that what you think, then? That I'm friends with you because I'm the only one you've got?! Well, you're wrong, Dawnkit! About everything! If you'd just stop wallowing in self-pity long enough to-"

"To what?! Lie to myself until I go delusional, seek a fight, and get torn to shreds by Shadowclan thinking I'm something I'm not?!" She couldn't believe her ears. Why was Badgerkit doing this?

"You're twisting my words!" Badgerkit protested, "That's not what I said at all! What I meant was… Dawnkit… I'm not friends with you because of pity. I'm friends with you because you're you! And I'd still be your friend, even if you had a thousand others, because you… you… You shine like a Starclan warrior even in the daylight, with thrice the brilliance and-"

She smiled, laying her tail across his mouth. "Stupid furball," she giggled. "What does that even mean?"

He shrugged, looking shyly down at his paws. "So, you're not mad anymore?"

"…No. Just upset with your decisions," she responded.

"Well, I… I know that everyone will someday understand that you'll make a great warrior… But… I thought that maybe this plan would help them out, you know, so we don't have to wait until hedgehogs fly. I don't want to be alone in the apprentice den with Wolfkit and Redkit any longer than I need to!" Badgerkit shuddered.

Dawnkit laughed. "Well how will this help, then?"

"Dawnkit, nobody doubts your responsibility. However, we do need to show them that you can be brave and strong, so even if you're caught, it wouldn't be altogether bed to show them that you actually have a sense of adventure," Badgerkit explained.

Dawnkit sighed, relenting. "But… Why did Wolfkit invite me in the first place? She hates me."

At that moment, Wolfkit and Redkit had started approaching them. "Actually," she cut in, "That was all Badgerkit's idea, including you I mean. He kind of begged us."

Badgerkit looked away, awkwardly as Dawnkit stared at him.

"Thanks" she whispered, "I understand now."

He nodded, relieved. "So will you come?"

Dawnkit hesitated, and then grinned. "Wolfkit, I don't even care why you're allowing this-"

"Because he's my brother and he begged me-"

"But I'm not backing out anymore. This is a new Dawnkit, ready for adventure. I will become a warrior, you'll see! They all will! Maybe even more…"

"Yeah," Redkit sighed, "Whatever, you're holding us up. Let's go!"

The four kits nodded in mutual agreement and with one look back to check that Cinderheart wouldn't see, tiptoed out of the den.


End file.
